Paper short abstract:

This papers focuses on Nigeria and relates the changes and transformation of production in agriculture and the pace of social and economic changes that accompanied state intervention, and the developments that came in the wake of the Nigeria-Biafra war and the development of the petroleum industry.

Paper long abstract:

The history of African agriculture in the twentieth century was one of growth and prosperity followed by decline and crisis. At the outset of the century, the agricultural sector was demographically large, wealthier and more productive than the rest of the economy. By the close of the century, the agricultural sector had become demographically small, relatively poor and less productive than any time before. Farmers at the end of the century had declining income and economic disparity with those who did not farm. The key to this change was structural, demographic and ecological. This papers focuses on Nigeria and relates the changes and transformation of production in agriculture and the pace of social and economic changes that accompanied state intervention, and the developments that came in the wake of the Nigeria-Biafra war and the development of the petroleum industry. While the agricultural economy was in serious decline by the 1970s, the development of the petroleum industry exacerbated the crisis. As oil export and revenue increased, the overall importance of agriculture continued to decrease. The dependency on petroleum revenue had negative effects on the rural areas because of the neglect of the agricultural sector and the high rate of urban migration that it generated. The situation continued into the 1990s, thereby decreasing the quality of urban and rural life. The importance of the economic "boom and bust" cycles and their effect on rural dwellers influenced the conditions of peasants and prompted the divergent paths they took in response to agricultural and general economic decline.